[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [經律異相](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt) › 40 # 經律異相 40 English (machine translation) 40 - **Language:** English ### [40.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.1) Compiled by the Liang śramaṇas Sengmin, Baochang, and others ### [40.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.2) The master Chaoshu further requests a prediction from Dīpaṃkara Buddha, 1. The brahmacārin Samudrareṇu recounts his dream, 2. The brahmacārin Xuxiang has his grief dispelled upon hearing the Buddha's teaching, 3. The brahmacārin Māgandiya offers his daughter in marriage to the Buddha, 4. A brahmacārin loses his son, begs King Yama for the son's life, and the son, refusing to stay with his father, goes to the Buddha and attains the Way, 5. A brahmacārin makes a deceitful donation, and a monk standing and reciting a single gāthā is able to digest it, 6. A brahmacārin offers honey in a bowl to the Buddha; the assembly eats without it diminishing, and what remains is given to aquatic beings, 7. A brahmacārin travels far to study and encounters five ungrateful ones, 8. Four brahmacārin brothers die on the same day, 9. A brahmacārin abandons his beautiful wife in a tree and falls in love with a base maidservant, regretting it in vain afterward, 10. A brahmacārin couple loses their lives while picking flowers, and the Buddha recounts their past lives for them, 11. Brahmacārins losing offerings murder a woman to slander the Buddha, 12. ### [40.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.3) The master Chaoshu further requests a prediction from Dīpaṃkara Buddha, 1. ### [40.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.4) In the past, the World's Benefactor Dīpaṃkara appeared in the great kingdom of Paduma. The fourfold assembly, beyond reckoning, all came to make offerings and provide for his needs. At that time, there was a brahmacārin named Yajñadatta by the flank of the Snowy Mountains. He examined all the esoteric prophecies, astronomy, and geography, comprehending them entirely, and fully understood books, records, and scripts. The brahmacārin Yajñadatta had a disciple named Leiyun, who was intelligent and widely learned, with nothing he did not master. He was constantly cherished and respected by Yajñadatta, never leaving his side for a moment. The brahmacārin Leiyun thought to himself: "Everything I ought to study is now complete. I ought to repay my master's kindness, but I am poor and destitute. I should go to the frontiers of the kingdom to seek what is needed." The master thought: "He is my beloved; even if I were to die, I could not bear to part with him, how much less today when he wishes to leave me!" He composed five hundred sayings and gave them to him to recite; within a few days, he was completely fluent. At that time, the brāhmaṇa Yajñadatta said to his five hundred disciples: "This brahmacārin Leiyun has mastered all arts and skills." He thereupon gave him a name, calling him Chaoshu. After several more days, the brahmacārin Chaoshu again addressed his master: "I have understood what was to be studied. However, the books record that anyone whose learning and skills surpass others ought to repay their master's kindness." The master said: "Your knowing this is true knowledge." Chaoshu bowed and departed. At that time, in the great kingdom of Paduma, not far from the city, a crowd of brahmacārins gathered at one house, intending to hold a great sacrificial feast and engage in debate. Eighty-four thousand brahmacārins assembled together. The foremost senior seat recited and chanted texts and commentaries, with nothing he did not know. Five hundred ounces of gold, a golden staff, a golden water pitcher, and one thousand head of cattle were to be offered to the master: they were first to test skills against the foremost senior seat, and whoever surpassed him would be given them. The brahmacārin Chaoshu thought to himself: "Why should I beg from house to house now? It would be better to go to that great assembly and compete in arts and skills with them." Chaoshu went. Many brahmacārins called out to him from afar: "Splendid! Today the sacrificial host has obtained great benefit, causing the god Brahmā himself to descend in person!" Then the eighty-four thousand brahmacārins all rose together to welcome him, saying in unison: "Welcome, Great Brahmā, divine lord!" The brahmacārin Chaoshu said: "I am not the god Brahmā. Cease, cease, worthy ones! Have you not heard that north of the Snowy Mountains there is a great teacher of the brahmacārin assembly named Yajñadatta? I am his disciple, named Chaoshu." He then said to the senior seat: "If you know arts and skills, explain them to me." At that time, the foremost senior seat of that assembly immediately recited the skills of the Tripiṭaka without any omission. Then Chaoshu said to the senior seat: "A single verse of five hundred sayings—recite it now." The senior seat said: "I do not understand it." Chaoshu then recited the Tripiṭaka and the single verse of five hundred sayings on the marks of a great person. At that time, the eighty-four thousand brahmacārins praised it as unprecedented: "Truly extraordinary, truly marvelous! We had never heard of the marks of a great person before. Now the venerable one should sit in the senior seat." Chaoshu moved to take the senior seat and sat in the foremost position. At that time, the former senior seat harbored extreme wrath and made this vow: "Now this person has usurped my seat. Wherever this person is reborn and whatever he wishes to do, I will constantly ruin and destroy his achievements!" Then that donor presented offerings to the senior seat according to the rule. Chaoshu said to the host: "I now return the gold and silver coins to give to you; I will only take five hundred of each. With the golden pitcher I shall make an offering to a woman, and the one thousand head of cattle I return as a gift to the host. I do not practice desire, nor do I accumulate wealth." Having said this, he went to the great kingdom of Paduma. Its king was named Guāngmíng. At the city's eastern gate, Chaoshu saw five hundred elder brahmacārins of venerable virtue. At that time, the king of that realm had invited Dīpaṃkara Tathāgata to the scorching sun and fiery heat; he then gave one coin from the five hundred gold coins to each of them and to the assembly of monks, providing clothing and food, and had the ground swept clean so that performers would not cause dust, sand, or filth. Silken banners and canopies were suspended, the ground was smeared with scented liquid, and instrumental music was beyond measure. He saw a woman named Śrīmatī carrying seven stalks of flowers and drawing water with a pitcher. He immediately asked the woman: "I wish to buy flowers." The woman said: "I am holding them to offer to the Buddha." He then offered five hundred silver coins to ask for five stalks of flowers. Coveting the silver coins, the woman gave him five stalks of flowers. After walking several tens of paces, the woman thought to herself: "This man is handsome in appearance and does not begrudge silver coins." She ran after the man, calling out to ask what he would use them for. He replied: "To offer to the Buddha." The woman said: "Please take these two stalks of flowers and offer them together to the Buddha. I vow that in future births we will always be husband and wife." Chaoshu said: "A bodhisattva begrudges nothing. If you become my wife, you will surely ruin my intent." The brahmacārin woman said: "I will never ruin you. Even if you take me and give me away, I will endure it to the end." Dīpaṃkara Buddha said: "What a bodhisattva practices is without begrudging anything." The brahmacārin replied in verse: ### [40.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.5) "My parents, all the honored Buddhas, / And the sun and moon that circle the world / Cannot be given away to others; / All the rest are decidedly without difficulty." ### [40.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.6) He further spoke a verse, saying: ### [40.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.7) "I will endure the suffering of koṭis of kalpas, / Giving away head, body, ears, and eyes, / Wife and children, kingdom, wealth, and treasures, / Carriages, horses, servants, and followers." ### [40.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.8) The young man replied again in verse: ### [40.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.9) "Though a great mountain were ablaze like fire, / And I bore it upon my head for koṭis of kalpas, / It could not destroy my aspiration for the Way; / I only pray you grant my prediction at this time." ### [40.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.10) He then untied his hair and spread it upon the ground, and spoke a verse, saying: ### [40.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.11) "Destroying love and arrogance of mind, / Capable of extinguishing desire, anger, and delusion, / Foremost, complete in glorious marks— / May the Buddha alone illumine my mind. / The vow I sought in the past, / Today I attain seeing the Buddha. / Now I scatter five stalks of flowers, / Vowing to attain non-retrogression. / The other two are not my flowers; / A king's daughter entrusted them to offer to the Buddha. / Supreme, Great Guide, / Have pity and step upon my hair." ### [40.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.12) The Buddha also replied in verse: ### [40.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.13) "Young man, you have brought forth the great resolve, / Vastly delivering immeasurable numbers; / Making a vast vow not for yourself, / You have planted roots of many merits. / After countless kalpas from now, / In a world of the five cauldrons and five turbidities, / You shall become a Buddha and deliver sentient beings, / With the name and title Śākyamuni, / Radiant with the thirty-two \[marks\], / Extraordinary, honored among humans." ### [40.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.14) The Buddha stepped upon the hair with his feet and passed over. He also used supernatural power to catch the five stalks of flowers, and drew my body up into empty space. The other two flowers remained on the Buddha's shoulders. From the time I destroyed the brahmacārins' sacrifice to the heavenly king of fire onwards, I practiced right view and relied on the equal Dharma, no longer falling into the three evil paths or the eight difficulties. At that time, Chaoshu was I, and the flower-selling girl was Gopī (from the Xiuxing benqi jing). ### [40.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.15) The brahmacārin Samudrareṇu recounts his dream, 2. ### [40.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.16) There was a brahmacārin named Samudrareṇu who said to the Buddha: "May the Tathāgata and the assembly of monks accept my four requisites of offering for a full seven years." The Tathāgata consented. Later, the brahmacārin had this thought: "I have now caused hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of sentient beings to bring forth the bodhicitta. Yet I do not know what the wheel-turning sage king aspires to—whether he seeks to be a king of men, a king of gods, a śrāvaka, a pratyekabuddha, or seeks supreme bodhi. If in a future life I am certain to attain the Buddha Way, when I lie down to sleep at night, the devas, Māra, Brahmā, and all Buddha World-Honoured Ones should manifest dreams to me." In his sleep, he saw a light, and immediately saw all the Buddha World-Honoured Ones of worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges in the ten directions, each from afar bestowing a lotus upon him. The flowers were marvelous, and on each flower platform, a solar disk was seen. Above the solar disk was a seven-jeweled canopy. From each solar disk issued sixty koṭis of light rays, all of which entered the brahmacārin's mouth. He saw his own light fill a thousand yojanas, pure as a clear mirror, and looking into his belly, he saw sixty koṭis of nayutas of hundreds of thousands of bodhisattvas sitting cross-legged on lotuses in samādhi. He further saw the filaments of the sun surrounding his body, and from among the flowers issued all kinds of instrumental music. He also saw his king, covered in blood, running in all four directions, with the face and head of a pig, eating various insects, sitting beneath an eraṇḍa tree, with immeasurable sentient beings coming to consume his body until only a skeleton remained; repeatedly taking birth, he was also like this. He further saw the princes, some with the faces of pigs, elephants, water buffaloes, lions, foxes, wolves, tigers, leopards, or monkeys, covered in blood, all eating sentient beings, sitting beneath eraṇḍa trees, with immeasurable sentient beings coming to consume their bodies until their skeletons fell apart; repeatedly taking birth, they were also like this. He also saw a prince wearing sumana flowers as a necklace, riding a small broken cart drawn by a water buffalo, rushing southward along a crooked path. He further saw the Four Great Heavenly Kings, Śakra Devānām Indra, and the Great Brahmā King come to his place and say to the brahmacārin: "You should now first take one lotus from all the lotuses on your four sides and give it to the wheel-turning king, and give one flower to each prince. Give the remaining flowers to the minor kings, next to your sons, and then distribute them all to the other people." Suddenly he awoke. Recalling all the matters he had seen in the dream, he realized that the sage king's vow was lowly and that he loved saṃsāra. He further realized that the princes had brought forth the mind seeking the śrāvaka vehicle, which was why he had dreamed of one wearing sumana flowers as a necklace, riding a water buffalo cart and rushing southward along a crooked path. "For what reason did I dream of this? The Buddha World-Honoured Ones \[showed this to me\] because I previously exhorted and urged immeasurable sentient beings within Jambudvīpa to dwell securely in the three grounds of merit and bring forth the bodhicitta, inviting the Buddha and the saṅgha to provide all comforts for a full seven years" (from the Sūtra on the Brahmacārin Samudrareṇu Inviting the Tathāgata). ### [40.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.17) The brahmacārin Xuxiang has his grief dispelled upon hearing the Dharma, 3. ### [40.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.18) In the country of Śrāvastī there was a brahmacārin who farmed on a large scale among the Jetavana trees. He went to inspect it with great joy, thinking his wish was fulfilled. That very night, heaven sent down a great hailstorm; the crops all died, and his daughter also passed away. Broken with grief, tormented by worry, he wept without stopping. At that time the monks entered the city on their almsround; seeing his two misfortunes, they returned and reported everything to the Buddha. The brahmacārin Śuka himself came before the Buddha and made obeisance with his head to the ground. Knowing his thoughts, the Buddha said to the brahmacārin, “In the world there are five things that cannot be avoided or escaped: first, depletion; second, loss and abandonment; third, illness and emaciation; fourth, old age and decay; fifth, death. Only through the truth of the Path can one be freed—by giving and upholding the precepts.” The brahmacārin’s mind softened, and he thereupon perceived the Four Truths. From that time forth, he took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, becoming a pure-faith upāsaka. The monks addressed the Buddha, “The World-Honoured One resolved the brahmacārin’s thoughts, so that he went away joyful and smiling.” The Buddha said, “Not only in this life has he had his grief resolved. In the past, in the land of Jambudvīpa, there were five rulers. One ruler was named Jietan (Tyrannical Greed). He ruled his country unrighteously. The ministers and the people mobilized troops, drew their bare blades, and came before the king. Together they said to the king, ‘Do you know yourself to be greedily harming the multitude? Quickly leave the country; if not, we will harm you.’ The king trembled greatly; he fled the country with his chariots and horsemen, and sustained himself by weaving straw mats to sell. The ministers and people then installed the king's younger brother as king, who ruled without oppressing the people. The former king submitted a letter explaining his plight, begging the king for a single village so that he could sustain himself. The king at once granted it to him. Having obtained one village, he governed it righteously; then he begged for two villages, up to half the kingdom. The king granted them all to him. In this way, after a long time, Jietan had the thought: he raised an army with half the kingdom, attacked his younger brother, immediately won, and retook the former kingdom. He then raised an army with the whole country and attacked the second; multiplying his forces step by step, he attacked the fifth country, winning victories in every direction. At that time the four seas all submitted to him, and he changed his title to King Great Victor (Mahāvijaya). Śakra tested him to see whether he knew contentment or not: he transformed himself into a young brahmacārin of the Kolita clan, with disheveled hair, a golden staff, and holding a golden vase, standing at the palace gate to request an audience with the king. The king came forward and sat, and after they had inquired after each other, \[the youth\] withdrew and said to the king, ‘I have come from the seashore. I saw a great country with a flourishing population and many rare treasures. You may go and attack it. I wonder if you are already satisfied, or if you still wish to obtain this?’ The king said, ‘I wish to obtain it.’ The heavenly king said to him, ‘You may further equip ships and raise troops to await me; after seven days I will lead Your Majesty there.’ Having spoken, he transformed and vanished. When the day came, the king raised troops and equipped ships, but the brahmacārin did not come. He became depressed and sorrowful. At that time the people of the whole country turned and sat facing the king: when the king wept, they also wept; when the king worried, they also worried. The king then gave voice to his thoughts, saying: ### [40.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.19) “Increasing thoughts in accord with desire, / Having already attained, yet wishing for more; / Daily flourishing brings delight, / Whereby one gains sovereignty.” ### [40.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.20) “Whoever can solve \[my riddle\] shall be rewarded with one thousand gold coins.” At that time there was a youth named Uttara who said he could solve it, asking for a seven-day interval before returning to answer. On the seventh day he said to his mother, “I wish to relieve the king’s grief.” His mother said to her son, “Son, stop for a while; do not go. Kings are difficult to deal with.” The son said, “My ability is more than enough.” He went to the king's place and said, “I have now come to explain the meaning.” He thereupon recited a verse. King Great Victor then presented him with one thousand gold coins. King Great Victor was this very brahmacārin \[Śuka\]; the youth Uttara at that time was none other than myself. (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Yizu jing.) ### [40.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.21) 4. The Brahmacārin Māgandiya Offers His Daughter in Marriage to the Buddha ### [40.22](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.22) In the past, the brahmacārin Māgandiya had a daughter who was exceptionally beautiful. Kings, crown princes, ministers, and elders came to seek her hand, but none could obtain her. Seeing the Buddha’s golden color and thirty-two marks, he thought to himself, “If someone compares to this person, I will give my daughter to him.” He returned home and said to his wife, “Today I have found a son-in-law who surpasses our daughter.” He immediately adorned his daughter with many precious jewels and necklaces, and took his daughter out of the city. The mother saw the Buddha's footprints, clearly marked, and said to the father, “Do you know that you are going in vain and will never get him as a son-in-law?” The wife spoke a verse: ### [40.23](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.23) “A lustful person walks dragging the heels; / An angry person steps with contracted toes; / A foolish person stamps the ground with the foot: / These footprints belong to the Honoured One of gods and humans.” ### [40.24](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.24) The father said, “A foolish person brings trouble upon his daughter.” He then brought his daughter to the Buddha's place, holding her arm with his left hand and a pitcher with his right hand. He addressed the Buddha, saying, “I now present this daughter to you as a wife.” When the daughter saw the Buddha’s form, lustful desire bound her, and the fire of passion burned in her mind. The Buddha then spoke a verse: ### [40.25](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.25) “Having seen the three daughters of the Evil One, / I still had no desire for illicit lust. / How could I now embrace this bag of feces and urine? / Even touching it with my foot would be improper.” (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Yizu jing.) ### [40.26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.26) 5. A Brahmacārin Grieving for His Son Begs King Yama for His Life, Visits the Buddha, and Attains the Way ### [40.27](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.27) In the past, there was a brāhmaṇa who went forth in his youth to study. Reaching sixty years of age, he was unable to attain the Way. According to custom, he returned home, took a wife, and lived as a householder. He had a son who was handsome and lovely. When the child reached the age of seven, he suddenly contracted a severe illness and died in a single night. The brahmacārin grieved for him; he threw himself upon the corpse, fainting and reviving. His relatives remonstrated with him, forcibly took the body for encoffining, and buried it outside the city. The brahmacārin thought to himself, ‘My weeping now is of no benefit. It would be better to go to King Yama and beg for my son’s life.’ After bathing and purifying himself, taking along flowers and incense, he left his house and departed. Wherever he went, he asked people, ‘Where is the domain ruled by King Yama?’ After traveling several thousand li into deep mountains, he saw several brahmacārins and asked them as before. They replied, ‘Why do you ask for the place ruled by King Yama, and what do you seek?’ He replied, ‘I had a son who suddenly died recently. I wish to go to King Yama to beg for my son’s life.’ The brahmacārins pitied his foolishness and said to him, ‘The realm ruled by King Yama is not a place that living people can reach. We shall show you the direction: you should go west from here for more than four hundred li. There is a great valley with a city within it. This is the city where the heavenly spirits stop and rest when they inspect the world. King Yama always passes through this city when he makes his rounds on the fourth day of the month. If you maintain purity and go, you will surely see him.’ He departed joyfully. Arriving in that valley, he saw a splendid city, palaces, and houses, like the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. The brahmacārin went to the gate, burned incense, stood on tiptoe, made vows, and pleaded for his son. King Yama instructed the gatekeeper to let him enter. The brahmacārin declared, ‘Late in life I had a son to support my old age. I raised him for seven years, and recently his life came to an end. I only beg the Great King to bestow his grace and charity to return my son’s life to me.’ The king said, ‘Very well. Your son is now playing in the eastern garden. Go and take him yourself.’ He immediately went and saw his son playing together with other small children. He stepped forward, embraced him, and wept, saying, ‘Day and night I thought of you, finding food and sleep tasteless. Do you think of your parents’ suffering or not?’ The child shouted back and rebuked him, saying, ‘Foolish old man, you do not understand the principles of things! Residing briefly together, you call someone else’s person your son! Do not speak wildly. You had better leave early. Now I have my own parents here.’ Dejected, the brahmacārin wept and left. He thought to himself, ‘I have heard that the śramaṇa Gautama knows the path of the soul’s transformations. I should go and question him.’ He immediately returned to the Buddha’s place, bowed his head in homage, and reported the whole matter from beginning to end to the Buddha: ‘He was truly my son, yet he would not return. He called me a foolish old man, saying that residing briefly together, I called another’s person my son, and that there was forever no father-son affection. Why has it come to this?’ The Buddha told the brahmacārin, ‘You are indeed foolish. When a person dies and their spirit departs, they immediately take on another form. Parents, wives, and children come together due to conditions, just like lodging travelers who scatter once they rise.’ Hearing this, the brahmacārin’s mind was illuminated with understanding. He bowed his head and offered himself, wishing to become a śramaṇa. The Buddha said, ‘Welcome!’ His hair and beard fell off of their own accord, and the Dharma robes appeared on his body; he immediately became a monk. Right upon his seat he attained the path of an arhat. (Extracted from the “Daoheng Chapter,” the fourth fascicle of the Dharmapada Sūtra.) ### [40.28](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.28) 6. A Brahmacārin’s Flattering Offering to the Monks is Dispelled by Reciting a Single Verse ### [40.29](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.29) In the past, there was a brahmacārin endowed with wealth and learning who did not believe in the right path. He frequently debated with śramaṇas and was bested. Whenever he heard that if śramaṇas eat people's offerings of faith and fail to make energetic progress, they will after death become oxen and horses to repay the donors, he secretly hatched a scheme: to set out food so that in future lives he could take them and put them to work for his livelihood. Although stingy and greedy by nature, he suddenly went to a monastery. In the monastery there were five hundred men of the Path, and he invited all of them, showing extra reverence and setting out food that was abundant, fine, and superior to any other, intending certainly to obtain five hundred oxen and horses. An elder monk who had already attained the fourth fruit of an arhat knew his thought; he then summoned the karmadāna and instructed the monks: ‘All should focus their minds, and each person should recite a verse, and together show great reverence.’ The elder monk said \[to the host\], ‘The debt is already paid in full; you will no longer obtain oxen and horses.’ The brahmacārin was astonished and said, ‘The man of the Path is divine and holy, knowing my thoughts in advance!’ The elder monk then explained fully to the monks, ‘Having received this food, if with a compassionate mind you contemplate the Path and recite a single phrase of the Dharma, you could swallow Mount Sumeru and still digest it, let alone this little bit of food.’ The brahmacārin was deeply ashamed. \[The elder\] then preached the Dharma to him, elaborating on its essential teachings. His mind opened and accepted the Path, and he immediately awakened to the stage of stream-entry. (Extracted from Essential Matters from Various Sūtras.) ### [40.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.30) 7. A Brahmacārin Offers a Bowl of Honey to the Buddha: The Assembly Eats without It Decreasing, and He Bestows It upon Water Beings ### [40.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.31) In the past, there was a brahmacārin who was determined not to look upon the Buddha, and so secretly slipped into another house. The Great Sage pitied him and appeared before his eyes. He wished to turn and run, but found himself unable to move, and came before the Buddha. At that time, the World-Honoured One preached the sūtras and the Dharma to him, and a joyful mind arose within him. He took refuge in the Dharma and the Saṅgha, received the precepts, circumambulated the Buddha, and left. He then took an almsbowl, filled it with honey, and holding it aloft with both hands, wished to offer it to the Buddha. The Buddha told the monks, ‘Take this bowl of honey and distribute it among the Saṅgha.’ At that time, from this single bowl of honey, the Buddha and the entire Saṅgha were fully satisfied, yet the bowl remained as full as before. It was then handed back to the Buddha. The Buddha told the brahmacārin, ‘Pour it into the boundless currents of the great water.’ The brahmacārin asked again, ‘Why?’ The Buddha said, ‘So that the insects, snails, snapping turtles, alligators, fish, and softshell turtles in the water may all receive its taste.’ The brahmacārin accepted the instruction. The World-Honoured One smiled with joy, emitting five-colored light that reached up to the Brahma heaven and universally illuminated the five realms, then circled his body three times. When predicting the enlightenment of a bodhisattva, the light enters from the crown of the head; when predicting the enlightenment of a pratyekabuddha, the light enters from the mouth; when predicting the enlightenment of a śrāvaka, the light enters from the arms; when proclaiming heavenly blessings, the light enters from the navel; when granting human birth, the light enters from the knees; when speaking of hells, hungry ghosts, and animals, the light enters from the feet. Ānanda rose from his seat, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha, saying, ‘The Buddha does not smile in vain; a smile surely has a reason.’ The Buddha said to Ānanda, ‘Did you see the brahmacārin offering honey to the Buddha?’ He answered, ‘Indeed.’ ‘Now, after this, throughout his future lives, this brahmacārin will pass through twenty kalpas without falling into the evil destinies. After twenty kalpas, he will become a pratyekabuddha named Possessor of Honey (Madhumān).’ The monks said, ‘Through a single bowl of honey, this brahmacārin brings great benefit and will attain the status of a pratyekabuddha!’ The Buddha told the monks, ‘With this brahmacārin, it is not only in this life; in past lives it was also like this. In the past, there was a brāhmaṇa living in quiet solitude who saw a divine ṛṣi. Someone said, ‘This ṛṣi is wonderful, auspicious, and difficult to encounter; one should go and receive \[teachings\] from him.’ Another person replied, ‘Why bother to see this creature who only feeds his body?’ A ṛṣi with five supernormal knowledges knew what was in their thoughts; leaping into the air from among the trees, he stood before that man. Seeing him, the man leaped with joy, filled a bowl to the brim with honey, and offered it to him. Having received it, the ṛṣi flew through the air. Due to the merit of this giving, he later became a king named Possessor of Honey. He governed the country with righteous Dharma, and when his life ended, he was reborn in heaven.’ The Buddha told the monks, ‘If you wish to know who the five-power ṛṣi was at that time, he was none other than myself. The brahmacārin at that time is this brahmacārin today. At that time, by offering honey he was granted the blessings of gods and humans; because of that, in this life he again offered honey to the Buddha, and will subsequently attain the status of a pratyekabuddha.’ (Extracted from the Sūtra on Possessor of Honey.) ### [40.32](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.32) 8. A Brahmacārin Traveling Far to Study Encounters Five Unreciprocated Things ### [40.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.33) There was a brahmacārin who lived in Rājagṛha. Hearing that the people of the country of Śrāvastī were largely filial and supportive \[of their parents\], upheld the scriptures, practiced the Way, and made offerings to and served the Three Honoured Ones, he wished to study and went to inquire and receive instruction. Not far from that country, he saw a father and son plowing the ground and sowing seed. At that moment, a venomous snake emerged, bit the son, and killed him. The father did not pause his plowing and sowing, nor did he even look around. The brahmacārin questioned him. The plowman in turn asked: 'Where do you come from?' The brahmacārin answered: 'I have come from Rājagṛha. Hearing that the people of this country are largely filial and supportive \[of their parents\], and serve the Three Jewels, I came to study. Whose son was that just now?' \[The plowman\] said: 'He was my son.' \[The brahmacārin\] said: 'If he was your son, why are you not grieved, but instead keep on plowing?' The man answered: 'Wherever there is life there is death; wherever things are formed there is decay. What can be done by sorrowing, grieving, weeping, and wailing? If I do not eat or drink, what benefit is that to the dead? If you are entering the city, please stop by and tell my family: "My son has died; do not bring two portions of food."' The brahmacārin secretly thought: 'This person has no sense of reciprocity. His son lies dead on the ground, yet he is utterly without sorrow or grief, and instead merely asks for food!' Entering the city of Śrāvastī, he went to the plowman's house, saw the dead boy's mother, and said: 'Your son has died. The father says only to bring food for one person.' The boy's mother said: 'He was like a guest lodging here: his arrival could not be prevented, and his departure cannot be stayed. This boy was like that. In this life, he came on his own, and in death, he also departs alone. It is beyond my power to advance or hold him back. He follows his own past deeds, pursuing what his lifespan brings about in his next rebirth.' He also told the boy's elder sister, and the sister likewise spoke of the analogy of impermanence. The brahmacārin told the wife: 'Your husband has died.' The wife explained an analogy to the brahmacārin. He also told the servant: 'Your master has died.' The servant likewise explained an analogy. Hearing this, the brahmacārin was deeply shaken, his eyes dimmed, and he could not tell east from west. 'Hearing that this country practices filial devotion and serves the Three Jewels, I came to study. Before I have found any good intention, I have seen five people with no sense of reciprocity, exhausting my body and mind in vain!' He then asked a passerby: 'Where is the Buddha?' \[The passerby\] answered: 'Nearby, in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada's Park.' The brahmacārin immediately went to the Buddha's place, bowed his head to the Buddha's feet, and sat back to one side, gloomy and unhappy, hanging his head in silence and saying nothing. Knowing his mind, the Buddha said to the brahmacārin: 'Why are you unhappy?' The brahmacārin replied: 'It is because my original wish has been thwarted that I am sorrowful.' The Buddha asked again: 'How so?' He answered with all the details. The Buddha said: 'It is not so; it is not as you say. These five people possess the greatest reciprocity. Knowing that life is impermanent and cannot be helped by sorrow and grief, they calmed themselves through this reflection, and therefore they feel no grief. Worldly people do not recognize impermanence; grieving and weeping, they cannot sever their attachment. For example, when a person's body is afflicted with a fever, not realizing it, they speak deliriously and wildly; when a skilled physician gives them medicine, the fever is removed and cured, and they no longer speak wildly. Worldly people are overwhelmed by grief, folly, and the fever of intoxication, unable to liberate themselves. If they understand impermanence for themselves, they will no longer grieve, just as a fever is cured. These five people are all capable of realizing the Way.' Hearing these words, the brahmacārin reproached himself: 'I was foolish and blind, ignorant of the great meaning. Now hearing the Buddha's words, I am like a blind man gaining eyes, seeing light in the dark.' He then received the five precepts, bowed his head, and departed. (Extracted from the Sūtra on the Five \[Persons\] Without Reciprocity) ### [40.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.34) 9. Four Brahmacārin Brothers Dying on the Same Day ### [40.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.35) There were four brahmacārin brothers, each of whom had attained the five supernormal knowledges. In seven days, their lives were all to come to an end. They conferred among themselves: 'With the power of the five supernormal knowledges, we can overturn heaven and earth, touch the sun and moon with our hands, move mountains, and halt streams. There is nothing we cannot do. How could we be unable to avoid this retribution of death?' One said: 'I will enter the great ocean, neither emerging above nor reaching the bottom, but staying right in the middle. How could the killing demon of impermanence know where I am?' One said: 'I will enter Mount Sumeru and seal its exterior behind me so that no trace appears. How could the killing demon of impermanence know where I am?' One said: 'I will rise lightly and conceal myself in empty space. How could the killing demon of impermanence know where I am?' One said: 'I will hide inside the great marketplace. The killing demon of impermanence, taking whatever person it finds, will not necessarily seek me.' When the four had finished conferring, they went together to bid farewell to the king: 'Only seven days remain of our lifespans. We now wish to flee for our lives, hoping to escape, after which we will return to pay our respects to you. We only wish that you cultivate virtue.' Thereupon they parted and departed. When the seven days were completed, each of them died, like ripe fruit falling. The market supervisor reported to the king: 'A brahmacārin has suddenly died in the marketplace.' The king was awakened \[to the truth\] and said: 'Four people sought to avoid their retribution, and one is already dead. How could the other three alone escape?' The king immediately prepared his carriage and went to the Buddha's place. Having paid homage and sat back, he said: 'Recently there were four brahmacārin brothers, each having attained the five supernormal knowledges. Knowing their lives were at an end, they all sought to avoid it together. I wonder whether they were able to escape or not?' The Buddha told the great king: 'Humans have four things from which they cannot escape: first, in the intermediate state, one cannot but take birth; second, having been born, one cannot but undergo old age; third, having aged, one cannot but undergo illness; fourth, having fallen ill, one cannot but undergo death.' (Extracted from the Dharmapada, fascicle 3) ### [40.36](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.36) 10. The Brahmacārin Who Abandoned His Handsome Wife Up a Tree and Craved a Lowly Maidservant, Regretting It in Vain ### [40.37](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.37) There was a lay devotee whose wife was upright and handsome, unequaled in majesty and virtue, and respected by everyone for her speech and eloquence. Her husband did not value her, nor did he like to see her; on the contrary, he loved a maidservant. Seeing her husband's mind, the wife said to her husband: 'You do not like me. Please permit me to go forth from the household.' The husband then permitted her. She immediately went forth from the household to become a bhikṣuṇī. Diligent day and night, before practicing the Way for long, she realized arhatship. Later, the woman loved by the lay devotee died. The lay devotee called the bhikṣuṇī to return, but the bhikṣuṇī utterly refused. The bhikṣuṇī addressed the Buddha, recounting the beginning and end \[of the story\]. The Buddha said: 'This lay devotee in a past life had already humiliated this virtuous person. This woman has extraordinary aspirations; this man has constantly disrupted and disordered them. Now that she has entered the Great Path, he wishes to ruin her again, but he cannot succeed.' The Buddha said: 'In a past life, there was a brahmacārin whose wife was named Padmā, possessing unexcelled beauty. The brahmacārin did not like her; the one he loved was a maidservant. Taking the maidservant's advice, he abandoned his wife in the mountains. Climbing an udumbara tree, he selected and picked the ripe fruit, while throwing the unripe ones down to his wife. His wife asked: "Why do you alone eat the ripe fruit and throw the unripe to others?" The husband said: "You can climb the tree." The wife then climbed the tree. The husband gathered brambles and encircled the tree on all four sides, wishing to make her die without being able to come down. At that time, the king of the country was out hunting. Seeing that the woman was upright and handsome, he asked the woman: "Who are you?" The wife herself fully related the beginning and end of the matter. The king thought: "This brahmacārin is foolish and ignorant, not a real man." He immediately cleared away the brambles, brought her back to the palace in a carriage, and installed her as queen. She was skilled in many arts, unequaled in wisdom and eloquence, and moreover skilled at dice. Women from near and far came to play dice with her; the queen always won, and none could match her. The brahmacārin was skilled at board games. Hearing from afar of the queen's victories, he thought: "This must be my former wife; it cannot be anyone else." He thereupon wished to visit the king to display his skills. When the queen heard the description of a certain brahmacārin, she knew he was her former husband. She reported to the king to have him shown in, and challenged him to a game of dice from afar. The queen answered with a verse: \[…\] The brahmacārin harboured shame and regret in his heart, reproaching himself, but his remorse was of no avail. The brahmacārin of that time is now this lay devotee; the wife of that time is now this wife; and the king of that country was myself.' (Extracted from the Sūtra on Husbands and Wives) ### [40.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.38) 11. The Brahmacārin and His Wife Who Lost Their Lives Picking Flowers, and the Buddha Explaining Their Past Deeds ### [40.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.39) There was a brahmacārin possessing boundless wealth who had only one son, newly twenty years of age, for whom he had recently taken a wife. Less than seven days had passed. In the third month of early spring, the husband and wife went together to the back garden to amuse themselves. There was a crabapple tree, tall and large, with beautiful flowers. The wife desired them, but there was no one to pick them for her. Understanding his wife's wish, the husband immediately climbed the tree. Just as he picked one flower and wished to get a second, the branch broke under him, and he fell to the ground and died. Young and old rushed in panic toward the boy's place, crying to heaven and wailing, swooning and reviving. Innumerable clansmen all mourned together; hearing of it brought heartbreak, and seeing it brought grief. The parents resented heaven, thinking it had failed to protect him. When the encoffining was completed, they returned home, weeping uncontrollably. Thereupon the Bhagavat, pitying their folly, went to inquire after them. Seeing the Buddha, young and old tearfully related their bitter suffering. The Buddha told the elder: 'Cease, and listen to the Dharma. All conditioned things are impermanent and cannot be preserved for long. Where there is birth, there is death, with vices and blessings following one another. In three places they are weeping for this boy, their grief and swooning being equally unbearable. In the end, whose son is he? Who is his true kin?' Thereupon the Bhagavat spoke this verse: ### [40.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.40) "Life is like a flower or fruit that ripens, / always fearing that it will fall. / All that has been born has suffering; / who can attain deathlessness? / From the beginning delighted in lust and desire, / given over to sensual pleasures, entering this fragile scene, / receiving a form, life is like lightning, / flowing day and night, hard to halt. / This body is a mortal thing; / the conscious spirit is a formless phenomenon. / Actions cause one to die and be reborn again; / vices and blessings do not perish or cease. / The end and beginning span not merely a single life; / through delusion and craving it lasts long. / What one creates, one receives its suffering and joy; / though the body dies, the spirit does not perish." ### [40.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.41) Hearing the verse, the elder understood its meaning and forgot his grief. Kneeling upright, he addressed the Buddha: 'What past fault did this boy commit in his previous lives that in the prime of his life he should suffer an untimely death? I only wish you would explain the offenses he originally committed.' The Buddha said: 'Once in the past, there was a little boy who held a bow and arrows and went among sacred trees to play. Beside him were three people watching a sparrow in a tree. The boy wanted to shoot it. The three people encouraged him, saying: "If you can hit it, people will call you a brave boy!" Pleased with himself, the boy drew the bow and shot it; hitting the sparrow, it died immediately. The three people laughed together, rejoicing in his deed, and each went their own way. Passing through births and deaths across innumerable kalpas, wherever they met, they came together to receive their retribution. Among those three people, one had merits and is now in heaven; one was born in the ocean as a miraculously born dragon king; and one is today you, the elder. As for this boy, he was previously born in heaven as the son of a deva. When his life ended, he came down to become the son of the elder. Falling from the tree and losing his life, he was immediately born in the ocean as the son of the miraculously born dragon; on the very day of his birth, a garuḍa king seized and ate him. Today in three places there is inconsolable grief and weeping—can it even be described? Because in their past lives they rejoiced in his act, these three people receive the retribution of weeping for him.' (Extracted from the Dharmapadāvadāna Sūtra, fascicle 5) ### [40.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.42) 12. Brahmacārins, Having Lost Material Support, Kill a Woman to Slander the Buddha ### [40.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.43) The king, ministers, and people of the country of Śrāvastī revered the Bhagavat and made the four requisites of offerings to him, abandoning the brahmacārins. The brahmacārins conferred together: 'We should look for a beautiful woman, kill her, and bury her among the trees, causing the assembly of Gautama to be widely defamed. Let us see how people treat us then.' They then together coerced and instructed a woman named Sundarī, saying: 'From now on, you must visit the Buddha morning and evening so that all the people see and know it.' The young woman complied with their instructions. They then killed her and buried her among the trees. The brahmacārins gathered and went to the royal palace gate, shouting their grievance: 'Among our school there was a woman, the most beautiful of all, with peerless floral grace; whether alive or dead, her whereabouts are unknown.' The king asked: 'Where did she usually go?' They replied: 'She went to Gautama's place.' The king said: 'You should seek her there.' They sent people to the Jeta Grove, who dug up the woman's corpse and placed it on a bier. Going through the alleys, they shouted their grievances, saying: 'The śramaṇa Gautama always claims that his moral virtue is universally great and unexcelled; how could he have secretly engaged in relations with a woman, and then killed and hidden her? What kind of Dharma or precept is this?' At that time, when the monks entered the city to beg for food, the people scolded them, saying: 'When these śramaṇas commit such offenses, should they still receive food and robes?' The monks then carried their empty bowls out of the city and reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha told the monks: 'My being slandered in this way will not exceed seven days.' At that time, a woman named Weiyan heard in the city that the monks had all returned with empty bowls after seeking food. She went to the Buddha's place, bowed her head to the ground in homage, pressed her palms together, and addressed the Buddha: 'May the Buddha and the Saṅgha accept food from my household for seven days.' The Buddha accepted in silence. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Go with the monastic assembly into the alleys of the city and recite this verse: ### [40.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.44) "He who always deceives, acting perversely in dark ignorance, / claims to have done what his body did not commit; / his deeds of deep darkness will become fully manifest, / and he will surely undergo sorrow and suffering himself."' ### [40.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.45) Wei-yan then provided food to the Buddha and the Saṃgha. (From the Arthapada Sūtra, fascicle 1) ### [40.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40.46) Diverse Phenomena from the Sūtras and Vinaya, Fascicle 40 ## Linked texts (1) - [經律異相](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.40.1) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.40) · Pramāṇa